Washing-machine.



INVENTOR Jam/ 2 5/ A ltarney w. B. THOMPSOIN.

Patented May 20, 1913.

WASHING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1912.

WlfNESSES MMM W. LTHOMPSON.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNHS, 1912.

1,062, 1 30. 4 Patented May 20, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- oeol Q -oood w 0M0 i INVENTQR WITNESSES WILLIAM E. THOMPSON, OF BANG-ER LAKE, NEW MEXICO.

. WASHING-MACHINE.

Application filed June 3, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILLIAM E. THOMP- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ranger Lake, in the county of Chaves and State of New Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in W ashing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for washing clot-hes, and its object is to provide a machine of this kind whereby the clothes can be tho-roughly and quickly cleansed without injury, and also to provide a machine which can be operated manually, or by power.

The invention also has for its object to provide in a machine of the kind stated a novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described. and claimed.

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine, partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is'a horizontal section on the line 4- 1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional detail on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is perspective view showing the pivotal connect-ion of certain parts to be hereinafter described.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 10 denotes a tub or other receptacle in which the clothes to be washed are placed. The bottom 11 of the tub is substantially semicircular and is made of sheet iron so that the tub may be placedover a fire for the purpose of boiling the water and the clothes. Fig. 1 shows in dotted lines at 10 a support for the tub, which support may be a furnace.

In the tub is mounted a rubber comprising a slatted basket-like structure .which is open at its ends and in two sections. This structure is composed of end bars 12 3.1 ranged in pairs at the respective ends of the structure. The lower ends of the bars are curved inward and brought together, and pivoted, as indicated at 13, close to the bottom thereof. The end-bars support slats 14 which extend lengthwise therebetween and are secured thereto in any suitable manner. The slats are set close together and have perforations 15 so that the water may pass therethrough.

The rubber herein described is adapted to be alternately collapsed and extended, this Specification of Letters l-atent.

Patented May 20, 1913.

Serial No. 701,240.

action being permissible as the structure is in two opposite longitudinal sections which are pivoted or hinged at their meeting ends. The following means are provided for eflecting this operation of the rubber. A suitable distance above the tub 10 is located a crosshead 16 to the ends of which are fastened depending bars 17 carrying pivoted arms 18 which extend out-ward and downward in opposite directions, and are pivotally connected, respectively, to the upper outwardly curved ends of the bars 12. Upon elevating the cross-head, the arms swing toward each other and collapse the rubber by drawing the two sections thereof together, and when the cross-head is lowered, the arms are spread and impart. a similar movement to the rubber sections. It will therefore be seen that the rubber is alternately collapsed and extended when the cross-head is reciprocated. The cross-head 16 is operated'by a lever 19 which is connected to the crosshead by means of a link 20. The lever may be operated by hand; or it can be connected to. some suitable source of power.

Inside the rubber is located a vertically reciprocatory plunger 21 which has perforations 22 so that the water may pass therethrough. The plunger is suspended at its ends between bars 23 to which it is made fast in any suitable manner. These bars 23 fiton the bars 17 and are made fast thereto by pins 24 passing therethrough. The bars 23 have a plurality of apertures 25 for the pins, so that the plunger may be vertically adjusted within the rubber according to the quantity of clothes therein. The bars 23 are also connected by a transverse brace 26. In-

asmuch as the plunger 21 is connected to the bars 17, it will reciprocate with the cross-head, the plunger traveling upward when the rubber is collapsed, and downward when the rubber is extended. On the inside of the end walls of the tub 10 are vertical guide strips 27 between which the bars 17 work and are guided.

The tub 10 is provided with a suitable lid 28 which is removable in order that the clothes and water may be put in and taken out.

In operation, the clothes to be washed are placed within the rubber below the plunger, and the tub being filled with water, the machine is put in motion. The hereinbefore described movement of the rubber and plunger rubs the clothes and also agitates the same and the water, and the latter is forced through the clothes, thereby quickly and thoroughly cleansing the same without danger of injury. The clothes are put in and taken out by disconnecting the arms 18 from the bars 17 on one side, thus enabling the plunger to be raised without collapsing the rubber.

The preferred embodiment of the machine had been shown, but it will .be evident that various changes and modifications in the structural details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A washing machine comprising a receptacle, a rubber in the receptacle, said rubber comprising opposite sect-ions brought together at their lower ends and pivotally connected, means for swinging said sections toward and from one another, a reciprocatory plunger working between the rubber sections, and means for operating the plunger.

2. A washing machine comprising a receptacle, a rubber in the receptacle, said rubber comprising oppositesections brought together at their lower ends and pivotally connected, means for swinging said sections toward and from one another, a reciprocatory plunger working bet-ween the rubber sections, said plunger traveling downward when the sections spread, and upward when they swing toward each other, and means for operating the plunger.

3. A washing machine comprising a receptacle, a rubber in the receptacle, said rubber comprising opposite sections brought together at their lower ends and pivotally connected, means for swinging said sections toward and from one another, a vertically adjustable reciprocatory plunger working between the rubber sections, and means for operating the plunger.

4. A washing machine comprising a receptacle, a rubber in the receptacle, said rubber comprising opposite sections brought together at their lower ends and pivotally connected, a. reciprocatory cross-head, depending bars carried by the cross-head, pivoted arms carried by the bars and extending downward and outward therefrom in opposite directions and connected respectively to the rubber sections, and a reciprocatory plunger working between the rubber sections.

5. A washing machine comprising a receptacle, a rubber in the receptacle, said rubber comprising opposite sections brought together at their lower ends and pivotally connected, a reciprocatory cross-head, depending bars carried by the cross-head, pivoted arms carried by the bars and extending downward and outward therefrom in opposite directions and connected respectively to the rubber sections, and a plunger carried by the aforesaid depending bars and working between the rubber sections.

6. A washing machine comprising a receptacle, a rubber in the receptacle, said rubber comprising opposite sections brought together at their lower ends and pivotally connected, a reciprocatory cross-head, depending bars carried by the cross-head, pivoted arms carried by the bars and extending downward and outward therefrom in opposite directions and connected respectively to the rubber sections, a plunger working between the rubber sections, and stems carrying said plunger, said stems being fastened to the aforesaid depending bars.

7. A washing machine comprising a receptacle, a rubber in the receptacle, said rubber comprising opposite sections brought together at their lower ends and pivotally connected, a reciprocatory cross-head, depending bars carried by the cross-head, pivoted arms carried by the bars and extending downward and outward therefrom in opposite directions and connected respectively to the rubber sections, a plunger working between the rubber sections, and stems carrying said plunger, said stems being adjustably fastened to the aforesaid depending bars.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VVILLIS L. RIEGER, TOM. CANNON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 91 Iatents, Washington, D. C. 

